Winter Sun
November 9, 2011
November 9, 2011
October 26, 2011
Back to Basics
Day one at college, and everyone had freshly shot rolls of film in their hands. ‘You will find’, said our tutors, ‘that the skills you have built up using a digital camera will break down when you first start using film, but this will ultimately improve your skills.’
A slightly smug smile swept round the room – most of us were already shooting on manual mode (ie. twiddling with all the knobs and buttons rather than having the camera work it out for you) so no way was it going to be that difficult.
Then the darkrooms. Let me tell you, if you enjoy the quiet life then standing in a pitch black room filled with excitable photography students (possibly due to the chemical fumes wafting around) is not the place for you. Over the next twenty minutes there ensued cries of ‘I dropped it!’ and ‘how long has it been?’, as we carefully transferred the film to big spirals, and dipped them into chemicals, precision-timed to the nearest millisecond.
So far, everything was going pretty well – my film had transferred to the spiral without any problems, and dare I say it, I was even starting to feel a tad smug. After twenty minutes or so we emerged from the dark, pupils slightly dilated, to examine our negatives. I held mine up to the light, and… nothing. Not a thing. I had no pictures. My film had slipped off the camera mechanism, and I had been happily clicking away recording a whole lot of nothing. What a school-boy error. One of the tutors had previously said that it is very difficult to take a picture with no meaning, but I seemed to be making headway in this area.
Overall, between us we managed to produce a few rolls of film and off we went to start practicing how to print images. Working in the dark room is actually quite enjoyable (no doubt due to the copious volumes of chemicals inhaled), and I’ll be posting some shots on here soon.
Assuming I load the film properly, of course.
October 23, 2011
A Trip to Paris - I recently spent three days in the french capital doing all the usual tourist things, and these are some of my digital shots.
October 7, 2011
Over the past few weeks we’ve been having some unusual weather, so I grabbed my camera to try and capture some of the dew that’s been collecting in the early mornings. I loved the quality of the light, and great reflections off the grass. Normally I can see for miles across the fields, but the mist that’s been around of late shows that you don’t need a bright sunny day to get some interesting shots.
October 6, 2011
So… Why Photography???
If you ever decide to change career, especially to something in a seemingly unrelated field, trust me, you will end up answering questions like this. A lot.
Some people will literally squeal with delight, declaring how lovely it’s going to be to have all that free time (you’re kidding right?) whereas others will use their poker skills to great effect, giving absolutely nothing away about what they really think.
The cynic in me says these poker-faced types think I’m a little crazy to just throw away all the experience and knowledge I’ve gained so far, and ‘start from scratch’ so I’m going to head them off at the pass and put forward my argument before any of them pluck up the courage to tell me what a loon they think I am…
So, what does a photographer do? Take photos, so that’s a creative job right? But is it really just that? Say, nine times out ten a photographer will be commissioned to fulfil a customer brief – whether involving detailed specifications or more open to interpretation – there will be an end visual objective, which they must achieve using all the technical skills they currently have, or through developing new ones. The way I see photography in this respect is a problem solving exercise, how to adjust aperture, shutterspeed etc to reach that end goal for the customer. Is that really so different to Engineering, where you are asked to develop a suitable solution to satisfy specified criteria? I’d say not… aside from the added bonus that there is a greatly reduced chance of:
· Welding mishaps
· Crashing computer models
· Reassembling an engine to find you forgot to put in one small (but essential) piece
I don’t intend to ignore the skills and experience that I have built up over the years – I want to recognise the fact that by using these skills (somehow) and developing my eye for a picture I will be able to bring something different to the ‘photography table’.
Hopefully, that will give people some confidence in my plans to change careers or at least convince them that I’m not totally insane… but if not I’ll just try and explain it with: ‘Sod it. Life’s too short, I’m off to do something fun instead!’
October 6, 2011
The final straw
Having completed a Masters Degree in Engineering and as a result of my extremely sensible choices, I have spent the last three years staring at financial data in spreadsheets, writing reports I’m pretty sure no-one reads, and using choice management phrases such as ‘let’s take this offline’.
After a particularly productive Wednesday afternoon, spent looking up mildly amusing names in the employee directory (Barbara Hogsbottom anyone?) and wondering whether anyone would notice if I spent the rest of the day on asos.com (answer – no one) I decided enough was enough! I sat down with my boss and told him I was leaving to become a photographer (cue unconvincing attempt to conceal shock), signed up for a photography course in London and shipped off my suits to the charity shop.
Through this blog I will talk all things photography, pointing you towards any fun and interesting influences I happen upon, chart my meteoric rise from spreadsheet monkey to award-winning photographer (or alternatively serve as a prime example of how not to change career) and finally kick my habit of accidentally purchasing clothes I don’t really need (damn you asos).
Hope you enjoy, all comments are gratefully received, even if it’s just so I know someone out there is reading…
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“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs;...”
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Morning Glory Pool (by WorldofArun)
Morning glory pool is considered the most beautiful pool and a must-see of Yellowstone National Park. Its colors are because of the existence of heat-thriving bacteria making a stunning display of hues. The delicate blue water is created by thermophilic bacteria, which thrive in the pool’s searing heat.
